A Mesmerizing Gogotte Formation
Of natural form, from the Oligocene (circa 30 million years ago), with layers of concretions forming attractive topography including a gentle curve around a large central peeking eye, the specimen supported on an integral stand
33 x 41³⁄₄ x 8in. (84 x 105 x 20cm.)
33¹⁄₂in. (85cm.) high on stand

In their strange, flowing forms, gogottes hold a mystery that eludes and enchants the scientist and inspires the artist — a testament to the beauty that arises from nature's quiet persistence.

Once thought to have been composed from chalk due to their pale colour and powdered texture, these exceptionally beautiful mineral formations are the natural result of calcium carbonate binding with extremely fine quartz grains. As a result, each delicately sculpted layer is a unique artwork from the mineral-rich waters of Fontainebleau in northern France, with the shapes evoking clouds and tangible representations of dreamlike imagery. Such visually arresting forms are the result of a mineralization process which takes approximately 30 million years.

As early as the late seventeenth century, gogottes were prized for their unique aesthetic appeal by the highest echelons of French nobility. Louis XIV 'the Sun King' of France (r. 1643-1715) was so enthralled by these natural formations that he ordered excavations in and around the region of Fontainebleau, to retrieve highly unusual ornaments for his palatial gardens. Today, gogottes still adorn L’Encelade, Les Trois Fontaines, and La Salle de Bal at Versailles. Indeed, their visual complexity has long inspired artists and writers alike.

As dynamic snapshots of elemental metamorphosis, they were particularly well received by impressionist and surrealist sculptors, whom, inspired by their otherworldly form, created monumental fantastical works that sought to extend beyond the realms of reality and form new definitions of the human experience. Similar forms are evident in the recumbent figures by Henry Moore, while the white marble compositions by Jean Arp (S’accroupissant, 1960-1962) and Louise Bourgeois (Cumul I, 1969) all evoke the arresting and unpredictable formations of gogottes.

The name gogotte speaks to their fantastical reputation - in 1970, Claude Guillemin (1923-1994), the director of the National Geographic Service in France was reading the well known French children's picture-book, Les Vacances de Zéphir , in which the protagonist, an imaginary elephant named Babar encounters some fantastical beasts named Polomoche and Gogotte. In order to better illustrate these characters to his children, Guillemin reached for the most fantastical creature he could find, his own sandstone specimens, their swirling forms perfectly capturing the imagination of the young audience and embodying the fantastical beast described in the story. Thus, this charming tale of the sandstone monsters captured the collective imagination and the name gogotte became synonymous with these forms. Their ambiguous and mesmerizing nature continues to perplex audiences today, as summarized by David Attenborough who wrote that we 'will need art historians and perhaps psychologists to explain why their wonderful and mysterious shapes so bewitch us.'